


Amid the Trials of Parenthood

by TheSpectralDuke



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Babyfic, Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Historical-style Pregnancy Test but with magic, Morning Sickness, Pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy, Vomiting, mention of menstruation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-17 08:33:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29097336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSpectralDuke/pseuds/TheSpectralDuke
Summary: Nearly a year into their travels across the realm, Reinette and Rhel'to find their lives changed by the discovery that Reinette is pregnant against all the odds. In a world where their very relationship is a taboo, how then will they be able to raise their child?
Relationships: Original Character/Original Character
Comments: 14
Kudos: 23
Collections: Bookclub Baby Fics!





	1. Revelation

**Author's Note:**

> I did always plan for my two to have a child together, but thanks to quintessentially and all the other wonderful writers from the Book Club who gave me this babyfic bug and inspired me to bring my plans forward, and to all those who showed their love for my silly self-indulgent OC romantic smut.
> 
> This is set around 5.1 at least initially, but assumes each expansion takes a year because I don't like the time bubble. So some spoilers for Stormblood and potentially for Shadowbringers later.
> 
> If you want to come join a wonderful community of FFXIV fic readers and writers, step on in and follow Emet's instructions to get started: https://discord.gg/JQw5J4mVNm

It was strange to think of Gyr Abania as free, Reinette mused, not for the first time. After all, since she was old enough to remember it had been imperial territory, Baelsar's Wall a monument to that fact that still stood for the time being. Much as she hated that the ugly black eyesore still carved the land, she understood that the Alliance would be loathe to abandon such a useful bulwark in the event that they lost Ala Mhigo once again. Even moons after the Warrior of Light and the Alliance had liberated the land as far east as Ghimlyt, the towering reminders of Garlemald dotted the land, the Wall, Castrum Abania, Castellum Velodyna even if it flew Resistance flags and proudly wore Ala Mhigan griffins in gold, and of course the ruins of Specula Imperatoris they had visited on their way through the Peaks a good few weeks before.

Now she and Rhel'to had bought lodgings toward the edge of the Ala Mhigan quarter for their time in the Lochs, clinging to the city's fringes because as ever the wild called them more. Something they would always share, the elezen smiled even as they walked the streets of Ala Mhigo. She craned her neck to gaze up toward the palace, wondering if they might get permission to visit the Royal Menagerie. Even if all the exotic animals had long since gone, she'd heard tell that the gardens there were a spectacle to behold. And of course she couldn't pretend she wasn't a little interested about the thought of laying eyes on the battlefield where the Warrior of Light had laid low that strange draconic primal.

Crowds bustled around them, mostly highlanders of course, a head or more taller than Rhel'to and even an ilm above Reinette at least. Many wore proud scars as proof of the war they'd fought for two decades, their smiles well-earned, though some seemed to ever be haunted by comrades who had fallen too soon to see their homeland free. She was sure there were those in Ishgard who had felt the same the day the Dragonsong War ended.

“What did you want to see?” Rhel'to asked. Both of them wore the dust of the road, so thick that one quick wash hadn't been enough to clean it all, and while he still wore his steel-adorned adventuring garb Reinette had swapped her own machinist's uniform for a plain tunic and trousers more fit for the city. Even so she still felt wild and unkempt, _free_ above all. Even nearly a year on the road the hunger for adventure was so keen in her heart, the sights they had seen majestic but nothing compared to the promise of more ahead. There was more of Eorzea still to see if they wished to go back, or they could take airship or boat to wander Sharlayan, Othard, mayhap even Meracydia or the New World. Ilsabard was closed for now, they dared not try their luck with imperial territory, but that hardly narrowed their horizons.

But for the time being, she forced herself to focus on Gyr Abania. “I wanted to visit the apothecary,” she murmured.

Rhel'to looked at her, concern turning his smile down. “Do you feel ill? If you want to rest-”

Reinette smiled and shook her head. “No, no, it's nothing serious, I think. Just my cycle seems amiss is all.” Rhel'to simply nodded and the auburn elezen found herself marveling a little at how in his stride he took it, though she shouldn't have been surprised. He'd been raised with his grandmother, mother and sisters, it would have been stranger if he reacted with the same squeamishness and disdain she'd seen Ishgardian men show when the menstrual cycle was even alluded to. A few passing Ala Mhigans took more umbrage than he did, shooting her odd looks as though cursing her for speaking of such in public.

The keeper pondered a moment before speaking, voice hushed to avoid keen ears. “You don't think-”

Another shake of her head, accompanied by a pang of cold anger at the need for whispers at all. “I don't think so,” she murmured. “I'd like it, but...” It was next to impossible, everything she knew said so. Rhel'to knew it too, even if she was sure he wished it could be otherwise just as they both wished they didn't need to hide what they were behind the veil of a traveler and her bodyguard for fear of how others might react. That thought made her miss Vylbrand, warm, accepting Vylbrand, where no one had batted much of an eye even when they'd been caught kissing.

Rhel'to's ears drooped a little. “I know,” he said softly, before perking up. “Did you want me to come with you? I wanted to see what Clan Centurio had to offer, but it can wait.”

She smiled back. “No, no, I wouldn't want you to miss the good marks. But thank you, Rhel'to.” They reached the aetheryte plaza, the great crystal gleaming brighter than the sunlight as they made their way through the crowd toward it. In tandem they pressed their palms to its surface and burned its beacon into their minds, as they had so many others just in case. Each had been a little unique, Reinette had noticed, decorated differently in accordance with the land in which it stood. Even though Ul'dah's Syndicate had commissioned every one, you'd never know that just by looking.

“I'll try to be home by dusk,” Rhel'to said gently as they finished and took a step away, letting fresh travelers attune in turn. “And hopefully with a full coinpurse.”

“I hope you'll treat us if you do,” Reinette teased, wrapping him in a quick hug. She yearned to kiss him goodbye, hold him longer, but she felt eyes like arrowheads all over her and so she let him go after just a moment.

Rhel'to laughed back. “I'll see what I can do.” He held her gaze, longing in his green irises, and she knew how much he wanted to do to her as she would to him, kiss her, hold her longer. Soon, she promised back. Tonight.

He smiled and slowly turned away, glancing back every few steps while she stared after him. She would only be a burden on the hunt and she did want to make sure all was well with the apothecary, but even so being apart from him stung her heart. The elezen forced herself to turn away once he faded into the bustling crowds, making for a seeker of the sun guard at the plaza's edge. A quick exchange of words armed her with directions and Reinette made her way through the streets, gazing about to take in every sight in an attempt to dull the ache of Rhel'to's absence. Even now soldiers of the Alliance were in evidence, knights of Ishgard in their blue and silver, Immortal Flames in black and gold, Twin Adders in yellow and Maelstrom in red all represented alongside the colors of Ala Mhigo in a show of support. She wondered if there was any truth to the ominous rumors that the Empire was planning something, after all, she and Rhel'to had kept away a while because of that worry until a few moons of peace had remained after the battle on the Ghimlyt Dark. Clearly the other city-states didn't feel ready to recall their forces if so many Alliance troops remained apparent, and that was only counting those about in their uniforms.

“Looking for a good time, love?” a hyur man jeered from the streetside. “Yer lookin' all lonesome!”

Reinette shook her head and forced a smile back. “I'm fine, thank you,” she called back, wary in case he tried to follow. But evidently he sought an easier woman, scoffing and waving her away while he continued to scan the crowd. She parted with the tide of people around a chocobo-drawn cart laden with soldiers, a glance finding them caked in ash and dust. The elezen wondered if they had just come back from the front, but her turning loomed on the left and the apothecary a few paces round the corner.

A bell jangled as she stepped inside, finding the shop thankfully empty. The scent of herbs and spice drowned her immediately, potions in their bottles catching the sunlight and gleaming, tinctures and poultices hung behind the counter. The apothecary, a young highlander with dusky skin and ruby-like eyes, stopped her bustling to greet Reinette immediately, smiling.

“Welcome to our apothecary,” the highlander said, indicating a wizened woman in a chair at the other end of the counter. The same red eyes stared up at Reinette, gleaming with year upon year of experience and wisdom. Doubtless the two were mother and daughter. “I'm Adalind, and this is my mother Syele. What can we do for you today, traveler?”

“My name is Reinette,” the elezen smiled back. “I, um...” Comfortable as she was talking about her body with Rhel'to, she found herself more nervous with strangers, even if she felt sure the two women would receive her kindly.

“Don't be shy, dear,” Syele croaked from her seat, a chuckle wracking her shoulders. “We don't bite.”

Reinette smiled back, just a little. “It's my cycle,” she managed. “I didn't bleed last moon, and now this moon is a week late.”

Mother and daughter exchanged looks. “Forgive me for assuming, but you don't have reason to believe you could be with child? You don't seem malnourished, at least from a look,” Adalind ventured.

She hesitated, the conversation with Rhel'to echoing in her head as she turned the idea over again. But just as quickly everything she had read and heard came back. It wasn't _impossible_ , but mixed-race couples rarely conceived at all, let alone brought a child to term. She couldn't deny that she hadn't taken any potions or the like to prevent the possibility, but only because that possibility was so tiny to begin with and she'd had so much else to untangle that it had genuinely slipped her mind for a few moons. And once they reached that point and talked it over, they'd both decided they would leave it be.

“Reinette?” Syele's voice broke her thoughts, making her realise she had left them hanging a good few seconds. “Are you well, dear? Is it the heat? Your accent sounds Ishgardian to me but I haven't the best ear for it.”

“No, no, I'm quite alright,” Reinette stammered out, cheeks flushed. “Though I am from Ishgard.”

The older woman laughed a little. “Glad to know my wits haven't gone to mud just yet, then.” She shot her daughter a knowing look and the young woman laughed at a joke Reinette wasn't privy to.

“Yes, mother,” Adalind retorted, looking back to Reinette. “Forgive me, but you didn't answer. You don't have reason to think you may be pregnant? Pray excuse my bluntness, but I would rule it out if nothing else.”

Reinette rested teeth on her lip, fidgeting. “I suppose it's not _impossible_ ,” she murmured. “There is a man I've been with, and mayhap we have been lax about protection.”

A little smile crept onto the highlander's lips. “If you wanted to be certain either way, there's a potion that will prove it within a day.” She traced fingers along the bottles behind her, plucking a blue-hued one down to set it on the counter. Reinette tried to read the curling scrawl of its label but was forced to concede defeat, the script familiar but different and messy enough that she couldn't untangle it. “That's mother's handwriting, sorry,” the young apothecary sighed. “I can decipher it, just about, but the label is just a long meandering name cooked up by someone with the time to think of such things. Probably a Sharlayan, I'd guess.”

Reinette nodded politely, though she knew enough of Sharlayan to think that any potion recipe of theirs would be under lock and key on their homeland, not bottled for sale in an Ala Mhigan apothecary.

“In any case, it works simply enough,” Adalind continued. “If you wish to take it, I'll provide you a flask. When next you pass water, just pour that potion in and the color it turns will tell you whether you are with child or not. If you are then your mystery is solved, I would imagine, and if not then we can explore other possibilities.”

Again the elezen hesitated, eyeing the bottle of potion. She played over the possibility in her mind, before mentally slapping herself. She was being ridiculous. Best to take the potion and have proof in her mind rather than carry on _presuming_ either way.

“I'll take it,” she said softly, meeting Syele's gaze then Adalind. The older woman gave her a little knowing nod, a smirk on her lips that Reinette didn't miss. She doubted this was the first time the pair had been in this situation, it was likely one that often played out in the realm's apothecaries. Even so, she reflected even as she paid for and received a small corked flask of the blue potion along with a little scroll detailing its use, exchanging a handful of gil for them.

“Good day and fare well, Reinette,” Adalind smiled as she made for the door, tucking both into her bag. “I hope you don't have need of us again, but if you do, please don't hesitate.”

Reinette lingered a moment, offering a smile back. “Thank you, both of you. Fare well.” She swore Syele grinned at her with chipped teeth as she turned to slip out the door, but she couldn't be certain. And besides, other things were on her mind as she rejoined the crowd, heading back the way she had come. Deep in thought she wandered, idly taking in Ala Mhigo's vistas as she went. Again the palace drew her gaze, the Royal Menagerie and its gardens, the rooms where the Alliance's leaders met. A group of serpentine ananta passed by and Reinette couldn't help but stare a moment at them, in awe of their natural grace. She and Rhel'to had met many of them on the way through Gyr Abania, for many ananta had joined the resistance and now served Ala Mhigo in the tentative peace, but they still fascinated her. How _old_ their kind were, and the odd tell she had heard that they could birth children on their own with no partner involved.

That thought brought her back to her own worries, a knot growing in the pit of her stomach. Overhead the radiant day drew colder, clouds finally coming to veil the sun from view as the afternoon crept on. She wandered aimlessly a while, shrugging off jeers and questions with short answers, stopping at last in a thinly-crowded square as a griffin rider landed his steed nearby.

“Do you have a little while?” Reinette asked the man, retrieving her sketchbook. Her fingers brushed the flask in passing and she focused on the snow white beast to put it aside a time, in awe of its beauty. Somehow the brown breed of griffin that nested in Coerthas seemed put to shame by Ala Mhigo's pure white breed, the griffin's eyes brilliant as it regarded her.

The orange-furred seeker smiled but shook his head. “Forgive me, but I have to be about my patrol. Mayhap you could make an appointment if you wanted a model to sketch?” He stroked the griffin's plumage, the wonderful creature purring in delight at his touch. “Tis good to see them admired.”

“They're beautiful creatures,” Reinette sighed. “I see why Ala Mhigo saw fit to adopt them as a symbol.”

A grin turned the miqo'te's lips, his teeth flat with no sign of fangs like those Rhel'to and his family bore proudly. “Aye. You can pet her if you like. Just once though and then I have to go. I only landed to let her wings rest a moment.” Seizing the opportunity Reinette stowed her sketchbook away, gently caressing the griffin's head. Its eyes lidded as her fingertips ran through feathers, tracing down over the top of the steed's hard beak before returning to her breast.

“Thank you,” she said softly, stepping away.

“Enjoy the city,” the seeker replied warmly. “Tell is you might not have long, if Garlemald rears its head again. But step back now.” Reinette dutifully retreated alongside everyone else in the square, giving the seeker room to spur his mount back into the heavens. The elezen watched it soar away with a wistful smile, making a note to see about that appointment.

Another day, anyway.

Finding nothing else to do and the afternoon creeping by, Reinette wandered back toward the lodgings, heading for the outer walls. It was a quaint little inn nestled just a few buildings in from the great gate, the kind of place that made its gil serving adventurers and travelers, and undoubtedly its owner had done very well from that business in the past moons. The highlander in question was behind the bar as ever when the elezen entered, grizzled and scarred from fighting for Ala Mhigo's freedom, one eye behind a patch and her hair cut rough and short.

“'noon,” Grishild greeted in that gruff voice, raising a hand. Her Gyr Abanian accent was thick enough that it took Reinette a moment to untangle her sentences at times. “Where's that mooncat of yours?”

“Rhel'to? He wanted to see what marks Clan Centurio had to hunt,” Reinette replied, stopping a moment at the base of the stairs.

Grishild gave a booming chuckle. “Not the huntin' type, lass?”

She shook her head and smiled a little. “Not unless we count drawing beasts, I suppose.”

The other woman cocked her head curiously. “Can't say I've heard of that sort of hunt and can't say I'd like tryin' to draw a beast that wants to claw me face off.”

Despite herself Reinette laughed. “I've had more close calls than I'd care to admit. But Rhel'to keeps me safe.”

Grishild nodded, turning to meet a patron who approached. “I'll bet he does. I saw how he looks at you, lass.” There was a chill undertone to her voice that made Reinette take the opportunity to leave, feeling the highlander's eyes on her until she slipped round the corner and up the stairs. She was reminded of what she had in her bag, what it could mean, and that knot in her stomach tightened. She felt like a serpent coiled in her belly, unfamiliar and unwelcome beyond measure.

She grit her teeth just a moment even as she unlocked their room and slipped inside, closing the door behind her but leaving it open for when Rhel'to returned. It was cramped but decently cozy, only one bed but that was no obstacle. They'd bluffed to Grishild about Rhel'to sleeping on the floor and kept their passions at cuddling close the night before, sharing sweet kisses in the dark until they both slept. Setting her bag down alongside their other scant belongings, she sat on the bed with the flask in hand, turning it slowly in her fingers.

Nervousness choked her a moment and she felt ridiculous again. What was there to fear? Even if somehow, impossibly she was bearing Rhel'to's child, surely that was a _blessing_? Surely that would be something to _celebrate_ , not dread. So why did she find herself so lost at the thought? Was it just because he wasn't there, off hunting beasts and monsters across the Lochs with Clan Centurio? She worried about him too, of course, but Stephanivien's inventions had kept him whole and hearty thus far and her faith in the Manufactory's tools hadn't been given cause to waver. Mayhap all the uncertainty washed together like two rivers emptying into the same sea, making that horrible serpentine knot coil tighter and tighter.

At last her frustration boiled and Reinette stood, grasping under the bed for the chamber pot. It was empty, of course, they'd taken care of that before they left lest Grishild have cause to complain. She couldn't bear to keep sitting and wondering until Rhel'to came back. She had been so _confident_ when they spoke, but look at her now, a mess of worries clutching the potion and fearing the future where normally she jumped with open arms for it. Doing so had hurt her before, after all, it had seen her family cast her out and her mother whip a scar into her face, but it had brought her to Rhel'to, to the road and all the wonderful sights they had seen ever since.

As she unlaced her trousers her teeth stayed on her lip, gaze resting on the flask where she discarded it atop the bed. She did what needed to be done and then poured blue into gold, busying herself with the scroll while she waited for the result. It made dull reading, certainly, but thankfully Adalind or someone else seemed to have written it, for the handwriting was much more legible than the bottle's label had been. Scanning it over she quickly found what she sought, surprisingly more detailed than she expected, a hearty green meaning a child, red indicating some sickness of the bowels, a litany of other colors that made her wonder just how one potion could possibly diagnose so many conditions. Mayhap that was why she wasn't an apothecary, the elezen mused to herself, before at last glancing down to take the chamber pot's measure.

Green.

The scroll fluttered to the bedding.

Green like grass.

Reinette stared into the pot's depths, eyes wide, feeling like she had been punched in the gut. All of a sudden the knot uncoiled and it was like a storm raged through her, a thousandfold thoughts and emotions swirling at once. Disbelief, doubt, confusion, anxiety, joy, sorrow, fear, love, hope, many and more all in a terrible mess coursing through every nerve.

_Green_.

The color's meaning seared itself in her brain, the realization leaving her frozen in place a while. When that ended she found her knees suddenly weak, stumbling to slump on the bed with her mind racing. Reinette snatched for the scroll, checking again in case she had made some mistake, daring to hope yet still convinced it was impossible. But her eyes scanned the sentence three times and found the same each time. If the liquid turned a hearty green, it signaled a child in the womb.

“ _I'm with child...? Rhel'to's child?”_


	2. Confession

Reinette didn't know how much time passed.

She heard sounds, the crowds in the street outside, the chatter of patrons in the bar below, even the opening and closing of doors as other patrons returned to their rooms. A bed creaked in rhythm in the room next door, joined by breathy moans, but any embarrassment she might have had was swiftly drowned by the maelstrom in her mind. Her thoughts lay in chaos, shattered to pieces by the revelation, forcing her to confront more than she could cope with at once.

The joy she felt soon felt smothered by reality cold as Coerthas. They hadn't _planned_ , hadn't _prepared_ , hadn't _expected_. Rhel'to was still out hunting, at least she thought he was, a turn of her head to the window finding the sun dipping low toward the west. What were they going to do?

_What were they going to do?_

Floorboards creaked outside as the couple in the next room finished their business and stole away once more. Reinette stared at the scroll where it lay abandoned beside her fingers, her body having crept onto the bed with her boots left on the floor. She turned it over and over, still reeling with the discovery. She found herself wishing she'd accepted Rhel'to's offer to come with her to the apothecary. At least then he would have known the moment she did, and she would have had him there rather than worrying about him on top of everything else. If only she had a linkpearl...

All of a sudden her world felt turned upside down, dreams met with reality hard as stone. For a moment the elezen dared to imagine their child, a boy or girl with Rhel'to's walnut hair and her azure eyes, or her auburn hair and his grass green eyes, an elezen-looking child in her arms. Joy and fear warred in her breast, of course she wanted, of course she'd hoped for it. But when she thought of the way people looked at her and Rhel'to when the veil of lies wasn't there, it made her afraid for the child inside her. How would the world receive such a child?

How would _Rhel'to_ receive such a child? He'd always seemed to want a baby, always said so when they talked about it, and yet reality made things seem so _different_.

Floorboards creaked again and Reinette lifted her head, veil of auburn strands parting from her eyes. She found her vision blurry, eyes watering with unborn tears. Whether of joy or sorrow she couldn't say. Another creak of floorboards, a boot landing outside the door. The knob turned with a whine and the door opened, her wet eyes finding Rhel'to as he came in smiling, a bag in his hand and his eyes bright with triumph. But as soon as he met her gaze that boyish glee was replaced by utmost concern, face falling as he took in the room.

“Reinette? Reinette, what is it?” One moment he was at the door and the next it was closed and he knelt by the bed, face close enough to hers that she could see the dirt and dust clinging to it.

“Rhel'to, I...” The elezen didn't even recognize her voice, it was a weak, trembling thing, little more than a whisper dredged from a frozen throat. Rhel'to looked puzzled and concerned at once, the bag abandoned to let his hand find her shoulder. His touch was a balm itself, soothing her fears, stilling the turmoil inside her.

“Are you ill? What did the apothecary say?” he pressed softly, eyes fixed on her face. His fingers gently caressed.

Reinette found her voice. “No, love,” she murmured. “Not ill. I... there's something you need to know.” Rhel'to looked from her to the scroll by her fingers, then glanced down to the chamber pot, and when he looked back at her face she could see the pieces falling into place.

“Reinette, are you...?” the keeper began, and it was him barely even whispering now.

Reinette swallowed and the words came gushing out. “Rhel'to, I was wrong. I'm... _we're_ having a baby.”

A second stretched. He knelt by her side, stunned and silent, mouth agape, eyes wide. His ears twitched while his hand lay still on her shoulder, half-formed words dying on his lips before he could voice them. She saw joy war with shock in his eyes, paralyzing him more surely than any spell, only his ears and tail moving.

“I'm sorry,” she whispered, suddenly afraid. “I thought it was impossible-”

Rhel'to moved so quickly she could only barely react, all but leaping from floor onto the bed. He pulled her close, arms wrapped around her to protect her shaking body, lips pressed to her forehead as she let tears of stress pour free at last. Surely they stained his shirt but he just clutched her to his shoulder and embraced her, tail joining his hands to ward the world away.

“That's wonderful news, love,” he murmured, kissing at her hair while his hands stroked her back. “Forgive me, Reinette. How long have you been lying here?”

“I don't know,” she whispered, voice quaking. “I can't...” His fingers rose to glide through her hair in soothing strokes, her tears running dry at last with his embrace slowly banishing her ills. Still she worried, still she felt shattered by her shock, but Rhel'to's love and tenderness let her gather herself piece by piece.

“Shhh,” he crooned. “I'm here, love. As long as you need me, I _promise_.” Her stomach grumbled and her cheeks burned, the both of them finding chuckles at that break in the tension. “Have you not eaten?”

“Not since breakfast,” the elezen confessed. “I meant to get food after I went to the apothecary, but I had too much on my mind.”

Rhel'to sighed and she could feel his smile in her hair. “I brought you some pie.” One arm released her, groping beside the bed for the bag he'd brought with him. “Jhammel. I remember you liked the meat in Ala Ghiri.”

“Thank you,” Reinette murmured, reluctantly letting him go to crawl to a sitting position. Her legs remained stretched to the side as she took the bag, finding the pie inside still warm to the touch. “How was the hunt?”

Rhel'to smiled, his own eyes brimming as he just stared at her with absolute love in his eyes. “Good enough, but I wish I'd been here with you instead.”

She bowed her head a little. “So do I, rather than having you come back to find me in such a state.”

“Eat now, love,” Rhel'to said, kissing her lips just once. She wanted more, needed him to kiss all her panic away, for him to hold her until she could sort everything out in her mind, but he drew away just as reluctantly as she had. “I'll see to this. I won't be long, I promise.” As he stood back up and made to dispose of the chamber pot he looked back, his gaze freezing her with pie an ilm from her mouth. They shared a moment, a smile, a stroke of his tail over her cheek that made warmth run through her veins even after he slipped out and let the door close behind him. Reinette ate slowly, more out of anxiety quenching her hunger than any wish to savor the meat. It was as delicious as she remembered from Ala Ghiri and it touched her that Rhel'to remembered, but as she rested her free hand on her belly thoughts of the child growing beneath her fingers pushed all else away.

True to his word Rhel'to quickly returned, slipping the pot back under the bed and taking the door key where she had left it. That key clicked in the lock and was placed on the bedside cabinet, Rhel'to then shucking off his boots and crawling onto the bed behind her. Reinette met his gaze and found a smile, the miqo'te wrapping himself around her once more. His legs found the back of hers, arms wrapping around her until his hands threaded together beneath her breasts. She felt his tail rest on her thigh affectionately while he slowly kissed the nape of her neck, just soothing her with his presence while she finished the pie than brushed the crumbs from herself.

“I love you,” she whispered, laying down and pulling him with her until they lay side-by-side.

“I love you too,” Rhel'to replied just as softly. “I love you both.” The elezen shivered at the words, at the pure _love_ in them. How long they laid there, Reinette didn't know. Outside the sun dipped out of sight completely and cast the sky in orange and purple. But she just rested in the keeper's arms atop the sheets while his thumbs rubbed slow circles through her shirt, caressing her and their child both.

 _Their child_.

Thinking it stirred the maelstrom again, emotions turbulent in her breast even with his soothing touch so close. Joy and anxiety, hope and fear, disbelief clashing with elation until she was left silently weeping again from joy and stress both. It had been impossible, she'd thought, it would take a miracle, she'd thought. But now she couldn't deny that it was true, that she carried Rhel'to's child in her womb, that soon enough _everyone_ who saw her would know that truth as well.

“I'm here, love,” Rhel'to breathed, kissing her neck gently. “For you. For our child.”

“I don't know what to do,” Reinette whispered, voice wracked with that tempest of thoughts.

“We can take as long as you need,” he murmured, voice so _warm_ with adoration. If Rhel'to had any doubts, they were invisible beneath his joy. “I...” Finally his voice cracked, but it was purest joy that left him speechless and burying his mouth in her hair, breathing her scent deeply between each kiss. Tangled as the knots in her stomach were, his love seemed to make them recede for a time, banishing _“what will people think of our baby”_ and _“will I be a good enough mother”_ beneath a sea of affection.

“What will we do?” she asked gently, listening to his breathing.

It took him a moment to answer, a few more kisses and circles of his thumbs passing. “Are you scared, love?”

“What will people think?” Reinette said hesitantly. “For now we can hide this baby, but how long until I start to show? Grishild _knows_ about us, I'm sure she does, and once she sees I'm with child-”

“Shhhh, shhh,” Rhel'to whispered. “I won't let anything happen to you or our child, Reinette.”

“What about _you_?” she pressed, turning her head until his kiss found her cheek and she glimpsed those love-filled green eyes. “What will your family think?” That thought nagged and bit, Rhel'to's family had been welcoming, but would a _half-breed_ child be too much?

Another moment of just breathing, another kiss. “They'll accept them,” he ventured. “Maybe grudgingly. Masha will take a while to come around, I suppose. But we all knew it could happen-”

Before Reinette could catch her thoughts they gushed forth, pouring from her mouth as a tide of woes. “But we never thought it _would_ ,” she protested, how she kept her voice low she didn't know. “And even if your family accept and take us in even after this, what about the rest of the world? Our child will be like Hilda, a half-breed,” the words were acid on her tongue, stinging her with the memory of Finnea spitting them that frozen night, “but an elezen and miqo'te child? What will they look like? What if we... we condemn them to a life of being despised?” Her vision blurred with tears she hadn't thought she had left, breaths tight with anxiety.

He had only silence and kisses to answer with for a while, hands tightening over her belly like he longed for them to be a shield for their child. When he spoke his voice was soft and tender. “Do you regret this, Reinette?”

She bit her lip to stop a sharp retort coming out, no, of course not. It was a dream come true, something she'd thought impossible real before her eyes, but suddenly the way the world was crashed down upon that dream and she found everything so much _messier_ than it had seemed when it was all just a fantasy. That was their relationship in a nutshell, though, the elezen thought, messy, awkward and difficult, yet she'd not trade it for all the world. “No,” she said at last. “I wanted to have your child, Rhel'to. I just thought it was near impossible, that we could try for a lifetime and never succeed.”

“Me too,” Rhel'to admitted. “But I swore to myself that I would stay with you, no matter how difficult it became, no matter how bitter the consequences.” A gentle sigh brushed her hair. “Because I love you, truly. And no matter what should happen, I swear that I will love _our_ child.” Fingers tightened, thumbs stilling as he let his hands just rest over her belly, a sign of affection placed over her womb.

More thoughts longed to pour forth, the eyes of doubt aimed squarely at herself. What kind of life could she give a child? A wild, dangerous life devoid of attachments? Just the road, no time to rest, no time to form any lasting bonds. What kind of life would that be? And much as she'd wanted to bear Rhel'to's child, before meeting him and growing to love him children weren't something she saw in her future. Messy and complicated, she didn't know if she had the patience, tenderness and empathy she was sure she would need. Rhel'to would be a good father undoubtedly, so full of love, so deep with care, but could she truly give everything their child needed?

But again she bit her lip, not wanting to further spoil what should have been joyful. Rhel'to was _happy_ , eyes brilliant when she leaned back to look as far as she could.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“You don't have to. I love you,” the keeper breathed gently, more kisses falling on her cheek, down toward her throat. Fingers and tail stroked in time, soothing her fears, quelling her doubts. He buried them beneath a rain of affection and put them to rest for a time, the elezen slowly relaxing into his embrace. “And this is a _blessing_ not even Menphina could give.”

“Don't let Masha hear you say that.” Despite herself she laughed at her own joke, finding herself in a dusty mirror hung crooked on the wall. She was red-eyed, her irises starker than ever in contrast, the trails of tears drying on her cheeks. But Rhel'to clutched her tight and warm, the smile on his face bright as the moon his goddess embodied.

“Let her fume,” Rhel'to replied with his own chuckle reverberating through her jaw. “I'm sure grandma would tell her the same.”

Another mutual laugh, even if Reinette wondered what the old keeper would think. Gloom crept in beyond the window, those oranges and purples fading to deepest black and the moon becoming more than a ghost in the heavens.

“Are you hungry, love?” she asked, the thought striking her. She felt Rhel'to shake his head as she glimpsed it in the mirror.

“I ate enough on the hunt,” he replied gently. “Have you, Reinette? You have another mouth to feed now, after all.” It should have been a joke but he said it so warmly that she couldn't dare laugh, his concern too sincere.

“Ah, I suppose,” she murmured, resting her own hand beside his. It was far too early to _feel_ the baby, of course, she wasn't even showing yet. It would be moons before she could feel their child _move_ inside her as she'd heard Kehda talk about Lhei doing. “But can we wait a while?”

“As long as you'd like,” Rhel'to said, kissing the edge of her cheek. “My love.” She couldn't help but shiver, overwhelmed, all her fear of how he'd react seeming absurd in the same of his boundless affection and the joy in his eyes.

“I love you,” Reinette whispered, listening to the sound of the bar filling with patrons. She didn't want to face that, didn't want to go down the stairs for food and feel every eye upon her. Especially not Grishild's eyes piercing her with a sword.

“I love you too,” the miqo'te said just as gently, all of his holds on her tightening a little. “Did you want me to go and get you something?” Immediately she shook her head.

“Stay, please. I just want _this_ ,” she answered, loosening his grip as she made to turn. Rhel'to let her roll into him, for once seeming taller than her as she nestled her head against his neck. Hands and tail sought new places to cling, caressing her just as tenderly as before. “I want to just stay here and celebrate this with you.”

Rhel'to pressed a kiss to her forehead. “So long as you promise you'll eat come morning.”

Reinette nodded and kissed at the lump in his throat. They lay there, kisses pouring on one another, Rhel'to cuddling her close while she wrapped her own arms around him. Joy and affection passed back and forth, lips curving up in between each touch on skin, eyes brilliant when she leaned back enough to let their gazes meet. The night crept in until they lay in shadow, only the moonlight through the window to light their bodies. Beneath them a drunken rendition of the Ala Mhigan anthem roared from many throats, celebrating a triumph from moons past, but they celebrated their own joy in silent love.

As the bells crept by they shed their clothes and retreated beneath the covers, snuggled so intimately they almost seemed one. All they knew was one another and the thought of their child growing inside Reinette, a proof of their love they had dared to hope for but never believed possible. And yet, be it the gods, be it fate or be it mere luck, something had seen fit to give them such a boon.

For all the doubts that threatened to well up once more, Reinette still whispered thanks to that unknown force as she lay in Rhel'to's arms and let slumber take her.


	3. Protector

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Morning sickness/vomiting, canon typical violence

Two and a half weeks crept by, the weather getting colder and colder, it felt. Even in the Lochs Reinette could feel winter approaching, the air chilling and the skies growing darker.

With that passage of time she'd started to feel sickness creep in as well, the kind that only the child within her could explain. Some days she stayed in the room, too drained to do the things she loved, nauseous and emptying her stomach while Rhel'to held her and crooned sweet words until there was nothing more to throw up.

The elezen felt like she was in a dream, still trying to come to terms with the truth that she was pregnant even with morning sickness attempting to stamp the fact into her mind. Sometimes they would carry on like they had before, visiting the Royal Menagerie after navigating the bureaucracy required to get a tour of the palace, wandering the Lochs and stopping to sketch abaddons and more. That had bemused the Ala Mhigan who'd served as both guide and guard, the woman wondering aloud why anyone would want to make a record of such foul creatures.

She didn't know why, but Reinette had wondered what the woman would think of the child in her womb as she sketched the purple frog-like beast. She was _happy_ , of course she was, sharing giddy kisses with Rhel'to when they could steal the moments and feeling her heart flutter every time he murmured about their child, about names, about whether they thought they would have a boy or girl, all of it. But it didn't stop her feeling eyes like knives, judging her already even though their owners couldn't possibly know, reflecting her own doubts like mirrors back at her.

What would their child's life be like? Would they be treated like a _freak_? And was she even suited to be a mother, to be what their boy or girl needed?

A few times Reinette almost shared those woes with Rhel'to. But each time they caught on her lips and were swiftly turned to something else, much as she hated herself for keeping it from him. He would understand, surely he would, but she couldn't bring herself to puncture the raw joy she saw in his eyes. If she was happy about the miracle they had made together, Rhel'to was over the moon, a smile ever at his lips, eyes so bright whenever she looked.

That day the sun only just peeked through wispy clouds, the wind up enough that they had to wrap up against the chill. Sunbeams caressed the palace when Reinette looked its way, a trio of griffin riders swooping by overhead. Of late there seemed to be more soldiers, more supplies, more threat of war. Everyone whispered that there had been a battle on the Ghimlyt Dark, some kind of monstrosity unleashed from Garlemald's forges, even that the Warrior of Light had faced it in the gloom. Reinette didn't know the truth, how could she after all. But it only added to her anxieties as they ventured out from the inn once more, leaving Grishild's suspicious stare behind.

That stare seemed all the more suspicious lately. She wondered if the highlander had seen something or heard something. If she _knew_ more than suspected. Twenty days was a long time to wait, but she wasn't showing yet and in spite of what was undoubtedly morning sickness rearing its head neither of them wished to leave Ala Mhigo early. Not while there was still more time to be had, more sights to see. Their stay was nearly over, they knew they would have to begin the trek back toward the rest of Eorzea before she started showing in earnest, but she'd wanted to see Abalathia's Skull before that. To stand at the furthest end of the mountains she had grown up amid, to stare out to the distant horizon and see what life bloomed in such a place.

The two met their guide at the gates, dressed in their traveling garb as usual with a pack of supplies for the day over each shoulder. Rhel'to kept a little distance and she wished he was closer, that he could hold her hand. The miqo'te was blonde-haired and dark-skinned, a ranger of the M tribe by the name of M'adebh with a bow slung over her shoulder.

“Good to see you,” she beamed. “Bright and early too, wonderful!” Two soldiers of the resistance were stood by her, looking rather bored at best, one a lancer and the other a gladiator, the former a roegadyn and the latter a midlander woman.

“Thank you for this,” Rhel'to said, smiling at the seeker. He was bright and happy as he had been the last weeks, meeting her slit pupils with a grin that bared his fangs. “We were worried we might not get to see Abalathia's Skull before we left.”

“Couldn't let you leave without it,” M'adebh laughed.

Reinette looked across the soldiers. “Do we really need so many people?”

The roegadyn scoffed. “We'll be hiking up through the queen's gardens with all the nasty things the Garleans never bothered to stamp out. If you'd rather not have us, be my guest and I'll gladly go for a pint with Essylt here.”

The midlander elbowed him. “Be polite now, Coeurl. They're paying us for our time.”

Coeurl glared away but nodded curtly as M'adebh spoke again. “Well then, we're burning daylight here, so we ought to head out.”

“Yes,” Reinette agreed, trying to drown out an oncoming surge of nausea. She forced a smile at the seeker, who led them on up the slope toward a familiar treeline. She and Rhel'to had spent a day wandering the gardens, sketching the strange plant monsters within then making their way down toward the lochs. But they hadn't gotten further north to where Ala Mhigo ended and the land fell away, giving way to a sea of clouds dotted with the oceans of mountaintops. She'd heard from others how beautiful it was.

She could hardly leave without seeing it. If nothing else, it would put her anxieties out of mind for a time.

They carried on their way, passing beneath the walkway that led to the palace gates, occasionally stopping and waiting for an edila to shamble by on its hunt for prey. The lancer and gladiator for the most part bantered back and forth, clearly familiar with one another, but M'adebh instead chose to chatter away with Rhel'to.

“I heard a lot of good things about you machinists during the liberation campaign,” she chattered, arms folded behind her head as she walked, tail swaying contentedly. “But I could never give up the bow.”

“I never was much good with a bow, and I can't say I'm _that_ skilled with this either,” Rhel'to replied, tapping the revolver on his hip.

The seeker laughed. “And here I was told that the strength of Ishgard's machinists was that they were so easy to train that anyone could take up arms. In fact, I heard your order had quite the struggle getting accepted because some noble was all stuck up about commoners taking arms.”

“I didn't see much of that,” the keeper said. “Though I know what you're talking about.” Again they stopped and waited for a trio of edila to wander on by, the trees thinning ahead when they moved onward. “My sister Kehda was always a good hand with a bow.”

M'adebh hummed. “They do say keepers are fine archers, but there's a world of difference between honing your skills hunting prey and honing them in war.” The blonde miqo'te clearly considered herself the latter, she couldn't have seen more than twenty-five summers, Reinette reckoned. She'd have spent most of her life under the iron fist of Garlemald, witnessing the atrocities permitted by the Black Wolf and ordered by Zenos yae Galvus. A shiver ran down her spine when she considered that if not for a miraculous turn of events at Silvertear, she might have been in the same position.

The elezen shoved the dark thoughts from her mind, swiftly pushing more worries about her pregnancy to join them. They emerged from the foliage into barren terrain more fitting for Gyr Abania, the land below the ridge on which they stood stretching out through row after row of graves with the ghastly forms of bhoots hovering up and down. As they turned to their right and gazed out, the ground in the distance gave way to the vista she'd come to see, snatching her breath away even at this distance. A sea of white cloud, like that she and Rhel'to had flown up to so many times, mountain peaks rising from it like great islands in the heavens. She shared a glance with her lover, longing to hold his hand and just stare at the beauty on the horizon, but the presence of their guide and guards made that just a dream. Instead she followed M'adebh as the seeker led them down a winding path carved in the rock, leaving grass and trees behind to step on bare rock and dust instead. Posts of black iron stood staked in rows along the paths before them, lanterns unlit with the sunlight bright through the clouds above.

“Tread careful now,” M'adebh murmured as they made their way along the edge of the graveyards, eyes wary in case a bhoot hovered too close. “The bhoots are scary, but it's the minotaurs you want to be careful of.” She indicated figures some way away, towering, muscular, humanoid in shape but with the heads of monstrous bulls, crude weapons clutched in meaty fists. The minotaurs stalked furiously, occasionally warring with each other or butting heads in some deranged ritual. Was it to attract a mate? To establish dominance? Reinette couldn't say.

She only knew that she had never laid eyes on them before and she wanted a look close enough to draw one.

“Can you get us closer?” she asked the seeker, who gave her a wary look.

“ _Closer_? Are you mad?”

Reinette took her sketchbook from her pack, holding it up. “I want to draw one.”

Another odd look, the guards behind the guide exchanging glances that spoke a thousand words of their opinions. “I can try, but not too close. I'm rather fond of my skin, as it happens.”

“I promise,” the elezen murmured, looking at Rhel'to and receiving his nod. They moved tentatively toward the hulking silhouettes, more detail coming into focus the closer they crept. Matted fur, eyes that seemed to burn with bloodthirst, the roars the beasts made more and more terrifying by the step. Soon one lay but a few hundred yalms away, their little band crouched behind some rocks for cover. They were downwind of it, just in case its sense of smell was keen enough for that to betray them.

“No closer,” M'adebh hissed. “This is as far as I'll risk for a live one.” She looked at Rhel'to. “If you want to draw the godsdamned beast so much, why not have him kill it and draw its corpse?”

“No!” They all ducked at the exclamation, waiting a few moments before they peeked over the rock. The minotaur sniffed in their direction but after a moment of staring turned away, leaving guide and guards to glare daggers at Reinette. “I don't want it dead if it doesn't need to be.”

M'adebh stared in confusion before all but throwing up her hands. “If that's what you want. It's your gil.” She looked to the two guards and Rhel'to. “I brought some cards along if you wanted to join me and pass the time while our noble lady here _draws_ that ferocious monster.”

Coeurl stowed his lance and rubbed his hands gleefully. “I look forward to winning your pay.”

“Not if I win it first,” Essylt hissed, following as the miqo'te led them away from the danger.

“Joining us, moonboy?” the seeker asked, holding up the aforementioned deck of cards.

Rhel'to shook his head. “I'd rather make sure Reinette is safe.”

A shrug. “If that's what you'd rather do.” With that they were gone, setting up a good distance away when Reinette glanced back, but Rhel'to took the opportunity to slip a little closer to her side and stroke a hand on her arm. They exchanged a smile as she began, wishing the minotaur would stop moving quite so much as she sketched. Working with wild subjects so long had taught her not to hope for that, but even by the standards she was used to the creature was constantly in motion. Head turning, arms swaying, feet stamping, every moment another movement. It didn't help that her nausea returned in force, bile stinging as she tried to keep it down, wanting to finish the drawing even with the minotaur doing its best to foil her.

“I'm glad we got to come here,” Rhel'to murmured.

Her pencil stopped. “So am I,” she replied, looking at him, then glancing back. But she wasn't sure enough that the others weren't watching to give in to her yearning and kiss him right there. They stared out across the clouds a little while, drinking in the scenery. The sky above was thickening, the sun fading behind a gathering storm, but it built so slowly that Reinette was sure they would make it back to the inn before so much as a raindrop fell.

The pencil moved again as the elezen returned to her drawing, only to find the minotaur more distant, like it had wandered away while she was distracted. A frown turned her lips and she clawed her way up the rocks.

“Reinette...” Rhel'to murmured, reaching for her when she looked back. Beyond him the others were engrossed in their game.

“I'll be careful,” she said just as quietly. “I just need one more good look and I'll be done.” She could see his fangs resting on his lip uncertainly, but he gave a little nod and she continued. She clambered over the rocks and dropped quietly down the other side, landing a little awkwardly on broken ground. Carefully the elezen ventured forward, shrinking into what little cover she could find as the minotaur turned. But she had her perfect vantage again, strokes of her pencil putting finishing touches to its face and body. It was certainly savage and brutal, undeniably, she didn't blame M'adebh for being confused about her wanting to leave the creature be. But it was part of nature in its own way and that made it beautiful and worthy. The day might come when the people of Gyr Abania drove the minotaurs to extinction, but she hoped her drawing might last as proof that such creatures once walked Abalathia's Skull.

But before she could put the last touches to her drawing, the nausea struck quick and hard, too much so to resist. Sketchbook and pencil fell from her hands as she toppled to slap her hands on unforgiving rock, trying to swallow it down but inevitably she had to give in or choke. Reinette retched, throat stinging, trying to at least muffle herself but before she could her stomach emptied itself messily onto the ground between her hands.

She heard hoofbeats.

With teary eyes she looked up to find the minotaur stalking purposefully her way, club raised, eyes searching with terrible inevitability until they rested on her and narrowed. The beast roared even as she desperately scuttled backward on hands and rump, trying to scramble to her feet and run but it covered as much distance in one stride as she did in five or six of her desperate scurries. And on top of that its steps grew quicker, the sight of potential prey spurring its predatory instincts.

She had been so _foolish_.

“Reinette!” Bullets tore through the air but they merely grazed the beast's toughened hide, even the white-hot bolts of heated rounds only leaving scorched flesh and the minotaur irritated. She glanced back even as she scurried to find Rhel'to full sprinting her way, revolver in hand, but when her gaze returned to the minotaur it loomed over her, club pulling back.

As the weapon fell she threw herself aside, but the shock of it slamming on the ground was like a punch in her back. It slapped her onto the unyielding earth and made her skull ring, vision swaying, shards of stone like knives when they struck her in turn. The minotaur growled in frustration and she saw it turning to her, too dizzy to do more than claw helplessly at the ground. Pain lanced through her even from that.

The club came up again.

“QUEEN!”

A flash of cold blue light lit earth and minotaur. The next moment, fast as levin a steely meteor rocketed past her and right into the beast. A fist of dark iron smashed the beast right in the jaw and knocked it reeling, its club arm falling as it roared at this new arrival. Its momentum stopped by the impact, her savior came into view. A knightly body of dark metal adorned with glowing lights of levin blue, like the sparks that danced from Rhel'to's arsenal in the thick of battle. But even in her dazed state Reinette knew that no knight wore this armor, no, it was a machina like that of Garlemald, a mighty pile bunker mounted at one shoulder. The machine followed its first punch with a second, joints humming and whirring before its fist hammered the monster's chest.

Automaton Queen. Stephanivien's greatest gift to his machinists, at least that they yet knew of.

As the Queen dueled the minotaur fist to club Reinette's dulled senses recovered, a sense of wrongness coming into focus until she could connect the pieces to understand. Rhel'to had never summoned the Queen without more intense preparation than this, something to do with converting his weapon heat into levin-aspected aether to power it? She hadn't understood the explanation but got the gist that it needed some kind of buildup that he simply hadn't had time for.

Dreading her answer she looked to him and found him bent double, panting like he had run a marathon, visibly pained as he watched his weapon fight to protect them. Some way off still M'adebh, Coeurl and Essylt raced with weapons drawn, headed for the minotaur rather than the machinist.

Reinette struggled to stand, casting a desperate look back just in time to hear and feel club ring on metal. It left a crackling dent in the Automaton's majestic plate, a second hammer-like blow smashing it back a pace before it launched back into the fray. But as Reinette retreated, racing for Rhel'to, each look back found their protector more and more on the losing end. Its plate was sundered and cratered, sparks dancing across its body as it struggled to stay fighting. The minotaur too bled and limped, bones clearly fractured by the force of the Queen's punches, but it seemed inevitable that the beast's savagery would defeat Stephanivien's ingenuity.

Desperately Reinette looked to Rhel'to, already afraid. That look confirmed her fears as he raised a hand toward the guardian, levin sparks coiling round his forearm down to his fingertips. She shook her head desperately, he had already spent so much of his own aether to summon the Automaton so urgently, he couldn't possibly give more for what he intended to do safely. His lips moved, words drowned out by the minotaur's roars but love and terrible dread filled in the sound.

“ _I love you.”_

The air crackled, hairs standing on end as levin danced. His hand shone brilliant for an instant, bright enough to force her eyes back to the fight. Through tear-blurred gaze Reinette saw the Queen's pile bunker deploy down to its arm, watched it spin so fast the minotaur didn't have time to raise its club in the instant between the weapon coming out and the Queen's last blow landing.

Bone cracked on the wind and the minotaur howled.

It toppled to its knees as the Automaton Queen froze with its pile bunker buried in the monster's torso.

Slowly the knightly machina dissolved into blue motes, its energy utterly spent. Without its unwitting support, the minotaur crashed to the ground, a glimpse of its crushed ribcage all Reinette caught before it lay dead. That was all she spared in her panic, whirling to find Rhel'to on his knees and bent over, breath heaving, strained eyes fixed on her. His lips turned up with a pain-wrecked smile as she scrambled to him as fast as she could.

“Rhel'to! Rhel'to!” She didn't recognize her own voice, lingering bile, fear, pain and guilt all in one making it alien even as it cried his name. The elezen was crying with stinging eyes, cuts left by stone still red and raw on her arms as they pulled her lover close to her.

Rhel'to looked up at her wearily, like he had just run a hundred malms without rest. One arm wrapped on her shoulders, the other resting over her belly. “Are you... hurt?” he breathed, so _weak_. “Baby... hurt?”

Reinette shook her head, it was just cuts, it was just cuts, nothing more. “Rhel'to, oh Rhel'to, how could you...” Pain turned to grief-fueled anger as the guide and guards arrived, too late, far too late. She stared across their faces with weeping eyes, trying to summon angry words, they shouldn't have gone off to play their game, it was their job to keep them safe.

But it was _she_ who'd ignored what M'adebh said. It was _her_ fault.

Rhel'to's fingers tightened just a little on her belly and she brought her gaze back to his. “Stay still,” she pleaded, voice ghostly. “We'll get you back to the city.” Desperately she looked to the trio. “We need to get him back, to an apothecary, a conjurer, _anything_.”

Her words seemed to snap M'adebh into action at least. “You two,” she barked at the lancer and gladiator. “Lift him up and carry him. We can't let him walk, not even supported, not when he's burned so much of his own aether already. Like Reinette says, we need to get him back, and quickly.”

“Are you attuned to the aetheryte?” Coeurl asked Reinette. “We could teleport-”

M'adebh bristled, ears flat and tail stiff. “His aether's running thin enough as it is, you son of a teleoceras! If he tries to teleport in this state he'll like as not never arrive anywhere! No, we'll have to carry him back, so get your arses moving!” Lashed by her tongue they obeyed, swiftly lifting Rhel'to in their strong arms, his hand staying on Reinette until they tugged him too far out of reach for him to keep resting it over the woman and child he had spent so much of himself to protect.

The seeker wrapped an arm around Reinette's shoulders. For a moment she seemed to consider a harsh word, eyes fierce, but just as quickly the cold unspoken “I told you” vanished to be replaced by warmth. “We'll get him back safely,” she said, walking Reinette forward and letting the guards follow. “I swear by Rhalgr, by Azeyma, by whichever gods you pray to that we will see him back into the city and right as rain.”

Reinette nodded, her throat hurting too much to speak. As they walked her hand fell to where Rhel'to's had been, mirroring his touch over her womb. She was so _afraid_ , for Rhel'to, for their baby. Ashamed, because it was her fault. Sick to her very stomach that her carelessness had cost the man she loved so, that for all she knew it might cost him his very _life_ before they could reach a healer.

M'adebh held her tight, crooning reassurance that did nothing every step of the way even as a patrol of Alliance soldiers soon stumbled across them and joined their desperate march. Spears and swords and shields formed a ring of steel around them, an Ishgardian knight swearing to her from her other side that she and her men would see Rhel'to to safety in the Fury's name.

Even the oath of a knight that legend had taught her to believe could see gods slain and miracles performed couldn't stop terrible dread from eating Reinette's very heart as they marched for the gates of Ala Mhigo.


End file.
